


hugs are the best medicine around

by skyblxssom



Category: Gintama
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, M/M, Platonic Cuddling, always love to write soft boys, some good old fashioned fluff between these four
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-20
Updated: 2019-05-20
Packaged: 2020-03-08 11:47:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,304
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18894001
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/skyblxssom/pseuds/skyblxssom
Summary: As Kotaro ventures in deeper, the scattering of small used bowls, empty egg cartons and open bags of sugar is reminiscent of treasure piles, with the distinct scent of caramel permeating throughout the apartment like smoke slipping through razor teeth, warning intruders of the danger lurking inside. Undeterred, Kotaro steps into the dragon's domain; his kitchen.There he comes face to face with the boss, equipped with nothing but logic and reasoning with a dash of mothering instincts. Kotaro understands he’s stepping into a losing battle as his opponent’s strength lies in how ferociously stubborn he can be but he had to at least try.[An imagined scene in Would You Like A Side Of Love At First Sight With That Coffee To Go?]





	hugs are the best medicine around

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Sweetysweetssugarytreats](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sweetysweetssugarytreats/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Would You Like A Side Of Love At First Sight With That Coffee To Go?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17793029) by [Sweetysweetssugarytreats](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sweetysweetssugarytreats/pseuds/Sweetysweetssugarytreats). 



> So, when I first started browsing through the Gintama tag on this site, the mentioned fic (as well as another fic, which I learnt much later) by Sweetysweetssugarytreats had been one of the first I've read. I remembered just completely falling for the premise and loving the characterization in that Coffee Shop AU kind of setting! One of the chapters mentioned a scene where Gintoki once fell ill due to overwork and the subsequent treatment for it. I sat there for a moment, thinking 'wow, I really want to write that scene out.' From there, I made one of my first friends in this fandom! 
> 
> So thank you Sweety for your writing! And for being my first pen-pal that listens to my ramblings and story ideas haha! I hope this piece fits with what you imagine and the setting that you've created!

Kotaro fishes out the spare key, twists open the lock and slowly push open the door like he's ready to face certain death. Well, when it comes to Gintoki and his phases, he thinks it's not too far off the mark. The sweet emptiness of the final unknown feels far more pleasurable than attempting to talk some sense into him when he's knee deep into baking hell.    
  
But because Kotaro is kind and responsible and the other two rather useless (Tatsuma just gets a faceful of raw eggs and sprinkles for his troubles, and Shinsuke, as much as he loves him, once tried to choke Gintoki into submission. While effective, it is rather counter productive since their aim is to prevent Gintoki from killing himself, not speed up the process. Though, Kotaro keeps that thought to himself since his boyfriend did try to help, albeit in his own Shinsuke way, so he can appreciate the effort), he's the one who takes the plunge into the sugar dragon's lair.

That comparison isn’t too off the mark. As Kotaro ventures in deeper, the scattering of small used bowls, empty egg cartons and open bags of sugar is reminiscent of treasure piles, with the distinct scent of caramel permeating throughout the apartment like smoke slipping through razor teeth, warning intruders of the danger lurking inside.Undeterred, Kotaro steps into the dragon's domain; his kitchen.

There he comes face to face with the boss, equipped with nothing but logic and reasoning with a dash of mothering instincts. Kotaro understands he’s stepping into a losing battle as his opponent’s strength lies in how ferociously stubborn he can be but he had to at least try.

Gintoki looks… well,  _ crazed _ is an apt description. He didn’t look any different except for the wild, almost manic gleam to his eyes. One arm held a mixing bowl close to his stomach, his free hand whisking the mixture like it owed him money. Or a good grade since inserting a twist to this classic is the test Gintoki’s given with. His pink apron had remnants of his experimentation stuck to it, the splatters of burnt caramel could be mistaken for dried blood from afar. He’s muttering something that’s too faint for Kotaro to make out but he can assume it’s ideas on how to push the humble creme brulee to the next level.

From the bags underneath his eyes, he can bet that Gintoki had been awake for nearly two days now, ever since he slammed the door to his apartment after they parted ways. He very well didn’t nap when he’s at work, and with his experimentation at home, Kotaro quietly worries that he will literally collapse underneath the stress.

“Gintoki?” Kotaro softly calls out. When there’s no answer, he tries again. “Gintoki.” This time louder as he takes a step forward.

Rust red eyes whirls towards him, the intensity stopping Kotaro in his tracks. “Zura? Whu--?”

“Gintoki, it’s clear that you’ve been at this without rest.” Kotaro uses his diplomatic voice, the one that he breaks out when he wants Gintoki and Shinsuke to stop fighting. At least the repeated exposure had conditioned his friend somewhat, for even in his current state, Gintoki unconsciously straightened his back. “I understand that you want to ace this test, but it wouldn’t do you any good if you worked yourself to exhaustion. Might I suggest that you take a quick break?”

“No!” Gintoki hisses, looking very much like an angered cat. He hugs the bowl almost protectively, eyes narrowing at Kotaro as he brandishes his whisk like a sword. “I’m close! I’m so close in finding the answer! I can’t stop now!” While his tone is snappish, Kotaro doesn’t take any offense from it. He knows that it’s due to his stressed out state. Gintoki tended to go on a baking frenzy when his nerves got the better of him with the concept of limitation out of his mental vocabulary. He would keep baking until his stress levels receded -- or bake it till you break it, as Tatsuma had stated once.

“Gintoki… please consider.”

“No can do,” he replies instantly, a hint of steel underlining his tone. Kotaro heaves out a silent sigh. Provoking his silver haired friend will get them nowhere, so it's with a touch of regret that he silently admits defeat. No force on earth -- except for maybe Shoyo-sensei but the man isn't a viable option right now -- will get Gintoki to stop until he finishes his masterpiece.

“Alright, I won't push on the matter anymore,” Kotaro says, slightly shaking his head. “But promise me that once you're done, you get some rest, alright?”

“Yeah, yeah.” Kotaro deftly avoids the bits of batter flown from Gintoki's haphazard wave of the whisk. “As soon as I finish my baby and get an A cause that's what I fucking  _ deserve _ \--” A sharp inhale before he smiles, or attempts to. Kotaro personally thinks he looked constipated. “--I'll sleep. Until then, tell Shinsuke not to miss me  _ too  _ much and that I'll bake something  _ nice _ for Tatsuma if he stopped texting me at fuck-o’-clock cause I'm not dead yet, that stupid perm.”

_ You're one to talk.  _ Kotaro thinks. “Duly noted,” he answers dryly, heaving out one last sigh when Gintoki immediately ignores his existence in favor of whispering sweet nothings to his batter.

Well, there's really not much that he can do. It's not the first time that Gintoki had an episode like this, but Kotaro can't help the faint stirrings of worry nonetheless. 

Honestly, it's hard being the designated Mom Friend sometimes.

* * *

 

It took a lot of blood, sweat and tears -- more than he'd like to admit -- but finally, Gintoki manages to finish his creation. He knows it's a damn good caramel creme brulee cause his genius meant that it's nothing short of perfection. The customers at Justaway were smitten with the test samples and even Kotaro reluctantly admitted that he could taste the fruits of his labor. If his professor still won't give him an A for this… 

But luckily for the man, he had nothing but praises for his baby so Gintoki will stay his hand. Despite feeling like lead had replaced his limbs and exhaustion sinking deep in his bones, the perm head smiled triumphantly, feeling his ego swell about three sizes (and there was no Shinsuke to pop his bubble!) and satisfaction curling his soul like a mug of hot chocolate with loads of whipped cream and marshmallow.

Gintoki rode on that high up until he returned to his apartment, where his body kindly reminded him that he hadn't slept by checking out as soon as he locked the door behind him. Sprawled on the floor isn't the best place for restful sleep as Gintoki will soon find out.

_ How much did I drink last night?  _ Is the first coherent thought his mind managed to scrounge up through the throbbing pain. Gintoki's return to wakefulness is slow, like swimming through molasses but he'd sooner drown first because he can't swim like the protagonist from One Park who should really have invested in some inner tubes until he remembered that  _ hello, he's made of rubber. He's his own inner tube  _ but then that would defeat the purpose of--

“Oooh… “ Gintoki moans pathetically. His brain hurt from all that thinking. Scratch that,  _ everything  _ hurt in general. It's like his body is made of aches and pains that's befitting more of a man triple his age. Just because he has silver hair, that doesn't mean Gin-san is old, thank you very much! 

Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that he's lying on something cold and hard. Gintoki can confirm its at least not Shinsuke when he opened his eyes. 

He's lying in the short hallway by the front door. Lifting his heavy head, a bleary sweep reveals that he's still in yesterday's clothes. This brings back the question on how much did he drank, though its more pressing to figure out what exactly happened. Gintoki at least remembered that he aced his test but what went on afterwards remains distinctively fuzzy.

Did they have a party to celebrate his success? While he did deserve one, that doesn't seem to be the case. It felt like he had the mother of all hangovers but only his head is affected. There's no nausea; only a general fullness in his stomach that's not entirely unpleasant but far from comfortable either. 

Then there's this chill that made him shudder after Gintoki slowly pushes himself up. Rubbing his arms in an attempt to warm them up, it takes a moment for him to arrange his thoughts. Well, obviously there's something wrong with him. Maybe he's getting sick? 

Nah, that can't be. Gintoki is the envy of many because aside from his dashing good looks, he has a pretty sturdy body. All his sugar intake never went to his waistline -- it's like his stomach is another dimension when it comes to sweets -- and he rarely gets sick. Only Kotaro beat him in health, mostly due to his own personal practices to keep himself healthy.

Gintoki didn't even need to do anything and he'll get through a bug sweeping through the campus unscathed. So the fact he's trying to convince himself is that he's  _ not  _ sick. It's probably from sleeping on the floor, he nods sluggishly to himself. Gintoki ignores the more pressing question in favor of getting to his feet. 

A brief dizzy spell had him swaying for a few seconds. Once it passed, he went into the living room to check the time. Hm, he'll need to hustle if he wants to get to his class on time. There's no way he's going to let anything detract from the gloating he plans on doing later. Getting an A to brag about doesn't sound as good if he's late for class. 

Honestly, it's hard being the cool friend sometimes.

* * *

 

Tatsuma had been at home, lounging on his bed with a couple of open books when he receives the text. Scratching his curly hair, he swipes the phone from where it's been charging on the table. Surprisingly, it's a text message from Zura. If he remembers correctly, he should be in class right now. Zura’s not the type to use his phone while there's a lesson going on, being the exemplary student that he is. Now intrigued, he opens it up. 

[  _ Tatsuma, I'm going to need to ask for a favor. I've been told that Gintoki was sent to the health centre due to a high fever and require a ride back to his apartment. I would do it but unfortunately, I have a test today. Can I ask you to pick him up? I'll join you afterwards with supplies.  _ ]

He reads the message silently, eyebrows raising till it disappear behind his permy hairline. 

Kintoki? Fever? Does this mean that he's sick? Tatsuma knows that he had holed himself up in his apartment for a few days in his quest to make the perfect caramel creme brulee. When Kintoki didn't answer any of his messages, he worried that his friend was dead or something. Zura had assured him that hasn't been the case. Kintoki even promised to bake him something if he stopped texting him, which he happily obliged to. 

If there's one thing that Tatsuma can put his absolute faith on, it's Kintoki's mastery over all things sweet. 

So Tatsuma was content to leave his silver haired friend be now that he doesn't have to worry about finding a Kintoki shaped body in his apartment. Perhaps he spoke too soon. 

Pushing aside unneeded feelings, Tatsuma quickly types back a response, already getting off his bed to grab his jacket and keys. 

[  _ You got it Zura! Kintoki's in good hands! I'll make sure to get him back safe and sound ahahahaha! ヽ(・∀・)ﾉ  _ ]

While his emoji of choice expresses a happy countenance, Tatsuma is anything but. As much as he goofs around with his friends, he genuinely cares for them. He knows that sometimes he can be a bit of an airhead, unable to tell the mood or accidentally getting himself into trouble because of it. 

But he knows that this is not a situation he can mess around with. Zura only gave him a general description on what happened and nothing else. Tatsuma didn't know how sick Kintoki was, or if something had happened. His fellow perm head is pretty strong in his own right, but when he's feeling unwell, it's like the ferocious lion has been replaced by a newborn kitten. 

With his tendency to start trouble, it's not surprising if Kintoki had enemies on campus. In his weakened state, he's easy pickings and Tatsuma isn't going to let anyone take advantage of that! 

Besides, Kintoki promised to bake something special for him! If he wants that treat, Kintoki has to get better first. 

At the drop of a hat, the source of Tatsuma's determination swayed from one end of the spectrum to the other, but at least he's finally in his car, making his way to their university. Parking had been a nightmare to find until he very nearly clipped another car in his haste to snag the last open space. 

Tatsuma waves off the curses thrown his way with his signature laugh, and perhaps it's his guileless expression that sent the other driver on his merry way. 

(In reality, it's because he recognized Tatsuma being a member of Shinsuke's 'clique'. Anyone with self preservation instincts on campus knew that he's not someone that you should ever mess with, which includes the people associated with him).

"Ahahahaha! I'm glad that worked out!" Tatsuma utters to himself. Adjusting his shades, he makes his way inside. Despite being a student here, his sense of direction never improved so it took more time than expected before he finally reached the health centre.

The nurse in charge, a middle aged woman by the name of Kobayashi-sensei looks up from her desk. It took her a moment to recognize Tatsuma, having been a visitor here whenever he got a bit too clumsy. 

"Ah, Sakamoto-san," she greets him first, smiling slightly. "What sort of trouble did you get into this time?"

"That's mean sensei, ahahahaha!" Tatsuma didn't look the least bit offended. "I'll let you know I've been studying like a good student!" And then some but she didn't have to know that. "I'm here for Kintoki! To bring him back home!"

Kobayashi-sensei looks a bit confused before her expression cleared up. "Ah, do you mean Sakata-san?"

"Yup! I heard he's down and out?"

Tatsuma tenses just a little at sensei's sigh. Is Kintoki worse off than what he expected? 

"Yes. He was brought in earlier. It seemed that in his fevered state, he mistook his professor for a  _ parfait _ of all things and tried to bite his toupee off. Then he started ranting about how unfair that his parfait kept being out of reach before he fainted, presumably a combination of his fever and exhaustion. I've been informed that he had burnt the midnight oil for a test but to think that this is the result…"

As she shook her head, Tatsuma laughs. Thank goodness it doesn't sound as bad as he imagined it! If Kintoki's love of parfait is still that strong, then he knows he'll be alright! After that, the nurse directs him to a room that that had a number of beds in them. It didn't take long before Tatsuma found his silver haired friend. 

From first glance, Kintoki looked the same but upon closer inspection, his skin had this waxy look to it that's juxtaposed by a flush residing high on his cheeks. He's shivering slightly underneath the thin blanket, brows furrowed. There's a cool pad plastered to his forehead.

Tatsuma presses the back of his hand to his cheek. His lips dipped into a frown for a few seconds at the heat radiating off of it. Kintoki groaned softly, instinctively leaning into the coolness that his hand provided.

Not too bad but not good either. Better bring him back quickly then. 

The hand goes to Kintoki's shoulder, giving it a few gentle shakes. A soft moan, then an attempt to bury himself deeper into the blanket. Tatsuma gives it another go, this time with a call. "Oi~ Kintoki, wakey wakey!"

This time he's rewarded by another moan that's accompanied by wine red eyes slowly cracking open. Kintoki looked at him blearily, blinking slowly. 

"...Tatsuma?" Kintoki's voice sounds a little hoarse, like he hasn't eaten ice-cream in days. 

"The one and only!" After the obligatory thumbs up pose, his wide beam soften into a tender smile. "Heard you're not feeling too well, so I'm here to bring you back home. Betcha like that even more than this bed, yeah?"

Kintoki groaned some more, eyes sliding shut. "Don't care. Everything's spinning. Is this how your motion sickness feels?" 

"Mmm not quite. Sounds like a crummy feeling. Let's get you back home, alright?" 

Tatsuma had to coax Kintoki into sitting up, and then it's a whole other process in picking up his stuff as well. Initially, he positions his ill friend in a way that he can be supported when they walked. One arm thrown across Tatsuma's shoulders while he wrapped an arm around Kintoki's waist. Though, that soon proves to be an inefficient method when Kintoki rapidly leaned more of his weight against him, legs barely moving. 

"Gotta work with me pal," Tatsuma says the next time he finds himself with a sagging perm head. Kintoki moans a little. 

"...'ry. 'm tired…" comes the slurred reply. Now Tatsuma's worry is starting to peek through again, but he's not going to let that cloud his judgement. Kintoki needs him right now! 

Tatsuma takes a moment to consider. The car park isn't that far away but it's obvious that Kintoki wouldn't make the trip. Now, if only there's a way where he doesn't have to walk but they can still move--  _ oh!  _ He feels like smacking himself because there's totally a way to do that! 

Never be said that Tatsuma can't come up with functioning plans. It's not the first time he's done this, so even with Kintoki's impression of a wet noodle, he's able to fashion him onto his back. 

"Hold on tight, 'kay Kintoki?" With that, Tatsuma slowly gets to his feet, effectively giving his friend a piggyback ride. Another moan, the arms wrapped around his neck tightening ever so slightly but other than that, they're in business!

Tatsuma holds onto his legs to keep his passenger steady before he continues on with the journey. He keeps his pace decently steady to minimize the bumps, and it seems that Kintoki appreciates it cause he feels him nuzzling into the back of his neck! 

Aww, Tatsuma wishes that he could snap a picture of this moment. Kintoki can appear prickly but he knows that deep down, he's just a big ol' softy. He predicts on a cuddly future, since Kintoki likes some physical comfort when he's not feeling good. 

He's probably going to be the prime target, but that's fine! Tatsuma has been told that his hugs felt good because of how warm they are. 

Honestly, it's no trouble at all being the warm friend! It just means more cuddles all around!

* * *

 

Now, half of the time, Shinsuke could care less on what happened to that perm head. Personally, he thinks that his boyfriend’s heart is far too kind to fret over the likes of Gintoki -- though it’s that same kindness that caught his attention back then. Still, when Kotaro requested for Shinsuke to accompany him in visiting their sick invalid after classes ended, he’s powerless to deny. 

Seriously, when Kotaro pulls out those eyes, he’s pretty much whipped. Saying no brings out awful feelings that Shinsuke doesn’t want to experience. 

(Guilt? Who’s she? Oh, Kotaro brought her along. There’s no socially acceptable nor polite way to get out of here without making things even more awkward). 

Which is how he finds himself in front of Gintoki’s apartment door, carrying a plastic bag of goods that Kotaro wasted his money on. The only good thing that came out of their brief stop at the local pharmacy was seeing Kotaro’s grateful smile as thanks for his help. That sight halfway makes up for this pointless visit, at least. 

Kotaro unlocks the door with the spare key, then enters like he’s the one who owns this place. Shinsuke follows after at a more sedate pace, not in any hurry to see that sick loser and get exposed to his loser germs. After he takes his sweet time in arranging his shoes, Shinsuke steps inside.

The living room greets him first, as does the rest of the occupants. It seems to shape up as one of  _ those  _ sessions. The furniture was pushed back, making room for a few thick blankets placed at the center. A couple of pillows and cushions lined the edges, essentially forming a barrier around this nest like thing. In the middle of it all, flanked by Tatsuma and Kotaro is the man of the hour, or at least what’s left of him to see. 

Gintoki mimics a burrito without how tightly wound he is within the blue blanket. It practically covers him, leaving only his silver locks visible. A pathetic sight if Shinsuke ever did see. He squashes down the slight twinge in his chest at the pure misery that came off of him in waves. 

"Gintoki, you're going to overheat if you stayed wrapped up like that," Kotaro reasons, already placing a hand at the edge to gently tug the blanket loose. Gintoki tries to bury himself deeper into his cocoon. 

"Don't wanna. It's  _ cold _ ," he whines, sounding like a petulant child. Kotaro sighs that motherly sigh, the sort that's masking the exasperation he's feeling. If Shinsuke could, he'd just yank it off without a care but Kotaro might not appreciate it. The last thing he wants is to draw out his boyfriend's displeasure towards him. 

"I understand that, but it'll help you feel better in the long run." Kotaro certainly possesses the most patience out of all of them for still maintaining that even tone. 

"Ahahahaha! Zura's right Kintoki! 'sides, wouldn't it so much better if, you know…" Tatsuma certainly makes it sound suggestive when it's anything but. They all know what Gintoki's preferred action when he's not feeling good, and honestly Shinsuke hopes he won't get pulled into it.

Gintoki peeks his head out a little, expression hidden from Shinsuke's angle. It looks like he's giving the suggestion some thought.

"'kay… but I want Shinsuke to join in."

"No," Shinsuke responds immediately, his first uttered word since he stepped into this blasted place. Lips twisted into a scowl, he made his way over simply to drop off the plastic bag filled with supplies by Kotaro's side. "Don't pull me into this."

The pathetically pitiful look that Gintoki shot him through slightly glassy eyes does not sway his cold, cold heart. Kotaro's expectant look, the one that's paired with a little smile  _ does _ . Sometimes it's unfair on just how his boyfriend is able to utilize his looks to make Shinsuke do his bidding. 

This whole love business really makes you do stupid things, eh? 

Shinsuke resists the urge to drag his hand down his face. Stomping just a little to show his displeasure, he slips in between Gintoki and Kotaro cause sick or not, he'd still suffocate him with a pillow if he tried it with  _ his  _ boyfriend. 

The moment he laid down, this annoying perm wasted no time to tangle his limbs around his waist, almost slamming his face into his torso from how forceful it was. God damn the regret hits him almost instantly. Why did he agree to  _ cuddle  _ with this clingy octopus? 

"Knew it. ...suke hugs best…" Gintoki mumbles. Shinsuke nearly smacks his head in reflex for that comment, but then Kotaro leans over them. The one eyed man remained strangely quiet as he felt that silky black hair brush against his exposed skin. On his end, Kotaro was plastering on a cool pad on Gintoki's fevered forehead. 

The urge to wriggle out grows with each passing second, but then Kotaro slides behind him, throwing an arm over the pair. Now it looked like he’s the one sandwiched in a hug until Tatsuma laughs and easily slots in the space behind Gintoki, already pressing his warm body against their ill friend. He’d always been the warmest out of them all, Shinsuke notes idly.

Now that he’s effectively squashed in the middle of this cuddle pile, Gintoki heaves out a little sigh, becoming boneless against him. Shinsuke never gets as to why he seeks out physical human contact in this manner when he’s not feeling good, though now…

Kotaro’s hugging him, pressed together to the point that Shinsuke can feel his breaths puffing against his ear -- making his cheeks annoyingly warm. Gintoki burrows himself into his torso, a generally warm presence that’s not entirely offensive. And to round things off, Tatsuma’s pretty much spooning this perm from behind, his outstretched arm reaching far enough that his hand rests lightly on his hip. Their legs are tangled, either with each other’s or from the blanket. 

It’s a mess of uncoordinated limbs, and he’s pretty sure they’re going to get cramps from their pinned arms, but at this very moment, nestled in between people that he can actually call as friends deep  _ deep _ down, Shinsuke experiences a kind of warmth that he doesn’t mind tolerating. It almost feels…  _ nice. _

But if Gintoki gets him sick, he’ll still give this idiot a thorough asskicking later. Honestly, it's hard being friends with these bunch sometimes.

**Author's Note:**

> In the end Shinsuke's the one who gets sick, Kotaro and Tatsuma are unscathed (cause idiots don't catch colds, as they say) and Gintoki tries not to be an annoying presence too much. At least the cuddle pile was comfortable
> 
> Thank you for reading!


End file.
